Lockdown drastically impacts milk sales in Tripura as ‘goalas’ dump it down the drain

After five days of lockdown for COVID-19 in Tripura, ‘goala’ or milkmen were seen dumping milk down the drain at Goalabasti here as milk sales have taken a hit. What used to fetch them Rs. 80 per litre from households and Rs. 45 per litre from sweets and confectionery shops has plummeted, in some cases, to Rs 20 per litre, if not less.

Around 400 families live at Goalabasti with over 7,000 people and these families have no less than 10,000 cows. The ‘basti’ is based on a contested piece of land since the 1970s.

Anwesha Devi, a cattle rearer and mother of two at Goalabasti, said all sweet and confectioners have stopped buying milk from them as most sweet shops have rolled down their shutters during lockdown.